Public Commons

Part of Correspondence: Wading Pool Safety

Dear Mr.Zambrowicz,

As I mentioned when we spoke today, I'm hoping that you or your colleagues can send me the references for the cases of grisly drownings you described to me, related to your concern about the suction of wading pool drains. You said that all pools are affected by this problem unless they have a different type of drain than Toronto's wading pools have.

Since your direction is to let no person, child or adult, be in the wading pool while part or all of the drain is open, and since this will mean that the Dufferin Grove wading pool will be off limits for long periods during each day, it's important for park users to read the cases for themselves. I would therefore like to post your information about the actual drownings.

I am sorry that you felt that the reaction to your visit was less than pleasant when you were only trying to save children from drowning. I hope you will keep in mind that the response you got was related to the fact that your direction will greatly diminish families' enjoyment of splashing around on the hot days of the summer. If wading pool suction is really a potential death trap, keeping people out of the pool, during the long periods of draining to get rid of sand in the water, may be the only sensible course of action. But it has to be backed up with hard data, which I hope Public Health will provide.

I have cc'd all the names on Anne Jackson's original e-mail inquiry, plus the rec staff who coordinate the park programs and who will have to explain the context for your directions, to the park parents and caregivers, many times each day.

Jutta Mason